4 EASTERN COURIER, NOVEMBER 24, 2010
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Having a ball: From left: Balwinder Singh, 10, Mele Finau 10, and Margaret Tausaga,
10, use play to learn life skills.
Photo: JASON DORDAY
Golf helps put kids
on the right course
By NICOLA WILLIAMS
Inspiring values is the
ultimate for a life skills
programme based on
golf.
East Tamaki based
charitable trust The
First Tee is marking five
years of work in New
Zealand.
Mentors go into
schools and run after-
school programmes to
engage children in
games as a way of teach-
ing nine core values
including honesty, res-
ponsibility and respect.
The kids are having
fun learning how to chip
and putt but they are
actually learning life
skills,'' executive director
Philippa King says.
She says there is a lot
that can be translated
from the golf course into
life.
Golf is different from
other sports, there are no
referees, it's non contact
and non aggressive.
There is a lot of eti-
quette in the game like
giving your opponent the
honour of going first at
the next hole if they have
won the previous hole,
presenting yourself well
by wearing collared
shirts, and behaving
well.
We teach kids how to
set goals, how to control
their emotions, how to
conduct themselves with
honour,'' Mrs King says.
The First Tee focuses
on low decile schools
because they work on the
philosophy that finances
shouldn't be a barrier to
playing golf.
Parents report huge
positive empowerment in
children.
The First Tee chief
executive Joe Louis Bar-
row Jr, son of boxing
legend Joe Louis, joined
local staff at Wymondley
Rd Primary School
recently.
Mr Louis became a
campaigner for diversity
in golf after experiencing
racial discrimination on
American golf courses.
Mr Barrow's leader-
ship has brought about
significant growth in the
youth development
initiative since it was
launched, now reaching
3.5 million participants.
First Tee is planning
to reach more of the
country.
Go to www.thefirst
teenz.org.
Study aids stroke recovery
It's an exciting time for
stroke therapy in New
Zealand and an Auck-
land scientist is leading
the way.
Cathy Stinear is a
neuroscientist at Auck-
land Hospital. She
studies and tests what
forms of treatment aid
stroke recovery and
rehabilitation.
After a stroke, the
brain recovers its
ability to do things that
are initially quite diffi-
cult,'' Dr Stinear says.
The brain does this
through a process
called plasticity -- it
makes new connections
between
surviving
cells.
Dr Stinear and her
team think they can
boost the plasticity to
help stroke victims re-
learn faster.
They are working on
two clinical trials to
achieve this.
One is a non-invasive
brain stimulation that
uses weak magnetic
fields.
Dr Stinear says this
technique is particu-
larly exciting and is
funded by the Neuro-
logical Foundation.
We are priming the
brain for a better
response to therapy.''
Patients receive the
safe and painless mag-
netic priming tech-
nique every day for two
weeks to activate the
stroke side of the brain.
This is followed by
physiotherapy.
The study is going
for another 18 months
and is based at Auck-
land University's
Tamaki campus.
She says thousands
of people have strokes
every year.
Our research gives
people every oppor-
tunity to recover as fast
as they can.''
Dr Stinear came to
work on stroke re-
habilitation gradually.
She left high school
half way through year
13 and grew up a bit''
before heading to uni-
versity at age 23.
She completed a sci-
ence degree in physi-
ology and psychology,
where she was first
introduced to the brain.
Once I started on
the brain, I was
hooked. I love how
there are so many
things about the brain
that we'll never know.
There is a lot of mys-
tery.''
She likes the idea
that the brain might
always stay out of
reach''. She enjoys the
work she does on
stroke rehabilitation --
mainly because she
gets to work with the
people who will benefit
from the research.
Dr Stinear completed
a doctorate in neuro-
science before taking
her first job working on
a clinical trial on
movement after stroke.
She won a best doc-
toral thesis award from
the Auckland Univer-
sity in 2004 and last
year received an Early
Career Research Excel-
lence Award.
Dr Stinear is still
looking for stroke
patients to take part in
the two clinical trials.
Call 923-3779 or email
c.stinear@auckland.ac.
nz for information.